! spoilers lie ahead !
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ceremonies

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apprentice

when a kit turns six moons old, they are ready to become an apprentice. until this time, their name ends with the "-kit" suffix. when a kit becomes an apprentice, their name is changed so that the suffix of their name becomes "-paw", showing the path that their paws are now on.

the clan leader calls a clan meeting to appoint a new apprentice and assign a mentor to them. the following words are used, by tradition:

leader: (kit), you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as (new name, ending with "paw"). your mentor will be (name of warrior or medicine cat). i hope (name of warrior or medicine cat) will pass down all he/she knows on to you.

the leader calls up the warrior he/she has chosen as a mentor.

leader: (warrior), you are ready to take on an apprentice. you have received excellent training from (former mentor), and you have shown yourself to be (quality) and (quality). You will be the mentor of (apprentice), and i expect you to pass on all you know to (apprentice).

the mentor touches noses with the apprentice, and the clan greets the new apprentice by calling out their name. after this, the apprentice will usually go greet their family, or go see their mentor.

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medicine cat apprentice

the leader calls a clan meeting, after the clan's medicine cat announces that they wish to mentor an apprentice. after their ceremony, the mentor touches noses with the apprentice, and the clan greets the new apprentice.

at the moonstone/moonpool

at the next half moon, the medicine cat goes with the apprentice to the clans' sacred place to present them to the warrior ancestors, where the apprentice confirms their wish to be a medicine cat. the following words are used, by tradition:

medicine cat: (apprentice), is it your wish to enter the mysteries of starclan as a medicine cat?

apprentice: it is.

medicine cat: then come forward. warriors of starclan, i present you with this apprentice. they've chosen the path of a medicine cat. grant them your wisdom and insight so that they may understand your ways and heal their clan in accordance with your will.

the medicine cat apprentice touches his/her nose to the moonstone or drinks from the moonpool. then the medicine cat and the apprentice lay down and have a dream from starclan.

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warrior

an apprenticeship usually lasts six moons or more. once a mentor is satisfied with their apprentice's progress and skills, they recommend them to the leader of the clan. then, the apprentice must pass an assessment, in which their abilities as a warrior are checked. in cases when the apprentice has just made an important contribution to the clan, the leader may decide that there is no need for an assessment.

if the clan leader is satisfied, they call a clan meeting and call the apprentice forward. the following words are used, by tradition:

leader: i, (leader), leader of (clan), call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. they have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and i commend them to you as a warrior in their turn.

leader: (apprentice), do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?

apprentice: i do.

leader: then by the powers of starclan, i give you your warrior name. (apprentice), from this moment on you will be known as (new warrior name). starclan honors your (virtues), and we welcome you as a full warrior of (clan).

the leader rests their muzzle on the apprentice's head, and the former apprentice licks the leader's shoulder. the rest of the clan then greets the new warrior by calling them by their new name. the warrior will sit a silent vigil guarding the camp that night, unless that is not possible or if the cat is injured.

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medicine cat

apprenticeship for medicine cats usually lasts much longer than those for warriors. the cat must learn about all available herbs and remedies, and the treatment of diseases and injuries.

once the clan's medicine cat is satisfied with the apprentice's knowledge, they go to the clans' sacred place (such as the moonstone or moonpool). this is the only ceremony that is not performed by the leader. the following words are used, by tradition:

medicine cat: i, (medicine cat), medicine cat of (clan), call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. they have trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help they will serve their clan for many moons.

medicine cat: (apprentice), do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between clan and clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?

apprentice: i do.

medicine cat: then by the powers of starclan i give you your true name as a medicine cat. (apprentice), from this moment you will be known as (new name). starclan honors your (virtues), and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of (clan).

the medicine cat rests their muzzle on the apprentice's head, and they lick the mentor's shoulder. the other medicine cats greet them by their new name.

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deputy

a deputy ceremony is when a clan leader names the clan's new deputy. this happens when the previous deputy dies, retires, is exiled, or is promoted to leader. according to the warrior code, a new deputy must be appointed before moonhigh that day.

the leader calls a clan meeting, and performs the ceremony by announcing these words:

leader: i say these words before starclan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors (or former deputy name) may hear and approve of my choice. the new deputy of (clan) is (warrior's name).

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leader

a leadership ceremony takes place when a deputy receives their nine lives and their leader name with the suffix -star.

the new leader goes to the clan's sacred place (such as the moonstone or moonpool) with the clan's medicine cat. after touching the stone (or drinking from the pool), the new leader cannot move for a short period of time, because their old life is being ripped away so they can receive nine new ones. upon awakening, cats of starclan come down from silverpelt. nine cats, normally ones who were significant during the new leader's life or the clan's history, although this is not always the case, give them their nine lives with the following words.

the life giver touches their nose to the top of the new leader's head.

life giver: with this life, i give you (gift). use it well (to, in, as, for, etc.) (use of gift).

when all of the lives have been given, normally the previous leader says these words:

previous leader: i hail you by your new name, (prefix)star. your old life is no more. you have now received the nine lives of a leader, and starclan grants you the guardianship of (clan). defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity.

often, after all the lives are given, the previous leader usually conducts the coronation for the new leader. however, sometimes the previous leader does not speak at the ceremony, or it is unknown if they are actually present, and another cat will conduct the coronation for the new leader - often the last cat to give them a life, but it also can be performed by the entirety of the amount of starclan cats known to be present in the ceremony.

just as the forest-cats would call a warrior by their new name, the starclan cats acclaim the new leader. after the ceremony, the new leader is not allowed to tell any cat what happened during the ceremony, with the exception of the medicine cat.

each of the lives normally give the new leader a great deal of pain as a sign to ready them for the hard work it normally will be to lead their clan. however, certain lives, depending on the gift, do not cause pain and instead give the new leader a much better feeling.
getting nine lives does not necessarily mean that a leader will live longer, but they can survive certain accidents or injuries that would normally claim the life of a cat. however, they cannot survive if they have major injuries such as the injuries scourge gave tigerstar.

if a leader no longer wishes to be the leader, they must go to the moonstone/moonpool to revoke all but one life, so their deputy may receive their full nine lives. sunstar only had eight lives because pinestar never officially retired at the moonstone. in rare cases, a cat chosen to be leader that has already died may be taken to the moonstone/moonpool to be revived by starclan. the only example of this phenomenon to date is the resurrection of tigerheartstar. the revived cat only receives eight lives, as they had already used up one of their lives prior to the ceremony.

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elder

an aging warrior, queen, or medicine cat may retire as an elder due to own initiative, when they feel they cannot help the clan efficiently any more. a cat may also retire if they are hindered from serving their clan through old age, illness, or injury. they report this to the clan leader, who calls a clan meeting and addresses the warrior.

leader: (clanmate), is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?

clanmate: it is.

leader: your clan honors you and all the service you have given to us. i call upon starclan to give you many moons of rest.

The clan will call out the retired warrior's name and then they will go to the elder's den. an elder may receive a completely different name, with a different ceremony, than keeping their warrior name; in thunderclan, there were the elders halftail and one-eye, who originally had different warrior names. This ceremony is also used for other reasons, such as changing lostface's name to brightheart.

usually, an elder ceremony is held only when a cat retires due to old age. if they are forced to retire because of a severe injury, there is no ceremony.

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name change

when a cat's name no longer portrays who they are, a clan leader can perform a ceremony to change it to a new name. normally, the name is changed from the result of an injury, such as when sparrowpelt was renamed "halftail" after having his tail bitten off by a badger. however, it can also be changed if a cat has been named incorrectly and the leader wants to rectify the mistake, such as with brightheart.

a cat can also request a name change if they would like their name or someone else's name to be changed, such as cloudtail asking firestar to change lostface's name, or rainflower requesting her son's name, stormkit, to be changed to crookedkit.

the leader calls a clan meeting, and performs the change with the following words:

leader: spirits of starclan, you know every cat by name. i ask you now to take away the name from the cat you see before you, for it no longer stands for what they are. by my authority as clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, i give this cat a new name. from this moment on, they will be known as (new name), for (reason).